xiv INTRODUCTION 



period, people who can rejoice at the sound of the 

 dinner bell, pace the deck with determined mien when 

 the ship is at an angle of 45 deg., and eat " nougat " 

 in a Mediterranean swell. All credit to them, for they 

 are a credit to Britannia, who ought to rule the waves 

 a little more efficiently than she does very often. Apart 

 from the unhappiness caused by this part of my travels, 

 the ticket by P. & O. is an item likely to prove an 

 insurmountable obstacle to many; but there are other 

 lines where, if time is no object, passages may be had 

 at extremely low rates, and where the small number 

 of passengers adds considerably to the comfort and 

 freedom of those who elect to go that way. 



From Bombay travelling is very easy and pleasant ; 

 a through carriage can be had, and the three-day 

 journey to Rawal Pindi accomplished without change, 

 the train stopping at convenient times for food, and the 

 charges both for rail and meals being very moderate. 

 The Indian railway carriage at first strikes terror into 

 the heart of the new-comer, it is so peculiarly bare and 

 uncompromising, the leather-covered benches, running 

 the opposite way to ours at home, appearing but poor 

 substitutes for the luxurious snowy sleeping berths 

 provided on home lines. But this is a tropical country, 

 though in Bombay in the early spring one did not 

 realise the fact, and air and cleanliness are the 

 essentials, and all else is sacrificed to these, so as the 

 sun lights up the khaki-coloured landscape, and its 

 ever-brilliant rays toast one gently through, one is 

 thankful for the ventilation afforded by the many 



